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Summary
Summary
The emotional New York Times bestseller from the author of Home Song and November of the Heart. Widowed at an early age, 44-year-old Lee Reston has overcome many obstacles to raise three children and build a successful business. When her eldest son is killed in a motorcycle accident, Lee turns to his 30-year-old best friend for comfort--and falls in love with him. Copyright © Libri GmbH. All rights reserved.
Author Notes
LaVyrle Spencer was born in Browerville, Minnesota on July 17, 1943. While working as a teacher's aide at Osseo Junior High School, she started writing her first novel, The Fulfillment, which was published in 1979. She has written more than a dozen novels that have hit the New York Times bestseller list, and many of her works have been condensed for Reader's Digest and Good Housekeeping. She has won five Romance Writers of America RITA Awards for her novels The Endearment, Hummingbird, Twice Loved, The Gamble, and Morning Glory. In 1988, she was inducted into the Romance Writers of America Hall of Fame. Many of her novels have been made into television movies including The Fulfillment, Home Song, and Family Blessings and the major motion picture Morning Glory. She retired from writing in 1997.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (3)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Ordinary people coming to grips with real problems are handled with a sure, restrained touch that makes this latest novel from the bestselling author of Bygones a moving tale. When Greg Reston, a young policeman in the small Minnesota town of Anoka, is killed in an automobile accident, it is up to his best friend and fellow officer Chris Lallek to break the news to Greg's widowed mother Lee. In the months following the tragedy, Chris proves invaluable to the Reston family, as a surrogate brother to Greg's siblings Janice, 23, and Joey, 14, and a source of unwavering emotional strength for all of them. But underlying his devotion is a clandestine and highly charged affair with the 45-year-old Lee, 15 years his senior. Is their need for each other really love, or is it simply comfort for two grieving people? When Chris proposes marriage, Lee must consider not only her judgmental mother and prudish sister, but also Janice, who has developed a crush on Chris. Spencer depicts the Reston clan with empathy, presenting fully dimensional characters with carefully limned vulnerabilities and hostilities. While residing safely within the parameters of romance fiction, this novel has an appealing candor that transcends the genre. Literary Guild and Doubleday Book Club main selections. (Jan.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Kirkus Review
Spencer's contemporary romances (November of the Heart, 1993, etc.) differ from the majority of the pash-hash-and-cash flutterers in the decorous niceness of her small-town Minnesotan casts and their ring-true talk. Here, in a sixth hardcover, the bestselling author follows the difficult path of love between a 45-year-old widow and a 30-year-old cop. The story begins with the death of young cop Greg Reston, son of Lee, the widowed mother of college student Janice and 14-year- old Joey. Taking it upon himself to break the news is Greg's partner and roommate Christopher Lallek. Slowly--oh, how slowly!- -the final rites for Greg are accomplished, with every detail noted, from the coffin spray to the funeral baked-macaroni-and- tomato. Gradually Lee relies more and more on Christopher, a nice guy with a rotten set of alcoholic parents. He has overcome, however, and is now a good cop; he's also helping a young abused black kid to a better life. Meanwhile, the Restons survive (rather cheerfully) the winter holidays--and with Lee and Christopher, vibrating, sex rears its divine head. But what of the family? Except for Joey and a wise father-in-law, they're outraged. Count on a warmhearted fadeout. In spite of some slo-mo moments on the sheets, it's really as wholesome--and subtle-as that macaroni. (Literary Guild Dual Selection for April)
Booklist Review
Lee Reston answers her front door and learns that her son, Greg, has been killed in an accident. Chris Lallek, Greg's roommate and fellow police officer, brings the news and grieves with the Reston family. Lee, a widow who has already lost one son, tries to be strong for her remaining children and for Chris. Chris refuses to let her shoulder her grief alone, and through shared memories, the two are drawn closer together, first as friends and then as lovers. Lee and Chris face opposition from her family: her mother and sister feel Chris is too young for Lee, and her daughter wants Chris for herself. Only with strong support from Lee's son and from her former father-in-law do Lee and Chris find the courage to elope and make plans for a life together. Spencer delivers a moving novel, which revives memories of the loss of loved ones and allows a resolution of feelings and a sense of peace. (Reviewed Jan. 1, 1994)0399139060Melanie Duncan
